Recharge Project: GCF Grants $66mTo Combat Climate Change

News Desk

Islamabad: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has announced $66 million in funding to assist the Pakistan government’s efforts to lessen the dual climate impacts of flooding and drought.

The Project will demonstrate the effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation and green infrastructure as innovative additions to the nation’s traditional grey infrastructure solutions to floods and droughts.

Some of the most vulnerable communities, which are plagued by the effects of climate change, particularly catastrophic flooding, will become more resilient as a result of the investment.

In addition to the GCF funding, the project is supported via a collective US$12 million investment and technical support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Coca-Cola Foundation, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan.

Collectively, the project’s interventions will directly benefit over 600,000 people and indirectly benefit close to 7,000,000 people.

The project will be completed in collaboration between the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) under the Ministry of Water Resources, and the WWF-Pakistan

This will be achieved through restoration and reforestation of forests and wetlands; rehabilitation of water flow paths and channels; development of recharge basins and retention areas; and strengthening the climate resilience of local businesses in the agriculture and forest sectors.

WWF International President Dr Adil Najam stated that through ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, this collaboration will help restore the basin’s health, enhance resilience and safeguard the most vulnerable communities.

Today, we are one vital step closer to building climate resilience, protecting biodiversity, and securing a sustainable future for Pakistan, Dr Adil added.

WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan stated, “A focus on green infrastructure and ecosystem-based adaptation is crucial, especially for a country like Pakistan, where the impacts of climate change are manifesting with increasing frequency and severity and deepening the economic crisis.”

This seven-year project is the largest investment at the national level to date in an ecosystem-based approach to flood and water resource management.